


Dropping the Ball

by lil_sauce



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」| Hyper Projection Play "Haikyuu!!" RPF
Genre: 20 Questions, Akaashi Keiji is a Mess, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bokuaka - Freeform, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Bokuto Koutarou Being Bokuto Koutarou, Confessions, Dinner, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Fukurodani - Freeform, Fukurodani Wins Nationals, Kozume Kenma is a Good Friend, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, Kuroo tries his best, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Nerd Kuroo Tetsurou, No Smut, Pining, Relationship Advice, Slow Burn, Smart Kuroo, Some Humor, Texting, akaashi makes the first move, and kenma as well, hes a simp that one, kuroken if you really squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_sauce/pseuds/lil_sauce
Summary: What if Fukorodani won nationals?  Trust me, I (the author) wanted to know too.Bokuaka nation, this one's for you.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou & Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma, Akaashi Keiji & Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, BokuAka
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	1. 32-30

**Author's Note:**

> hi i like to think that this is going to be finished but at this point I don't know...

32-30.

The scoreboard didn’t lie. It was always right, never wrong. Even when it wasn’t in your favor, it was still the truth.

32-30.

That was the score of the set that gave Fukurodani the National Title. They were the best in the world.

_ The scoreboard never lies _ , Akaashi thought.  _ We did it. _

A smile spread across Akaashi’s face. Bokuto, seeing this, beamed as well.

“Akaashi!” he yelled as he ran over to hug him. “We did it! We won!”

Akaashi stiffened as Bokuto grabbed him.  _ Oh my god. _

“Yeah, Bokuto-san. We did.”

Bokuto let go of Akaashi and went to hug the rest of the team. He was left to himself, thinking. 

_ Oh my god. He hugged me. _

Akaashi’s heart started to beat out of his chest. A feeling crept its way up through his stomach that he couldn’t explain, but he knew what it meant. He knew it all too well.

He sighed before jogging over to join the rest of the team, celebrating their biggest win of the year. 

After the energy leveled out, Akaashi was in the locker room putting his volleyball bag on his shoulders. He looked at himself in the mirror.

_ I guess I have to do it now. Tell him. _

He took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

On the bus, Akaashi sat next to Bokuto, as normal, and sat quietly, anxiously wondering what Bokuto would do. He had enough experience being around him that after big wins, Bokuto would always do something crazy to get his emotions out. He was busy chatting to one of his teammates, shining bright like the sun.

Akaashi looked up from his phone at Bokuto for a moment before looking down again.

_ Stay calm, it’s okay, Akaashi. You can do it. Just take a deep breath and ask him. _

As the other conversation slowed itself, Akaashi took a deep breath in through his nose, and out through his mouth.

“Hey, Bokuto-san,” he said, trying to maintain his composure.

“What is it, Akaashi?”

“Do you want to come to my house tonight?” he asked, being super cautious to not stumble over his words.

Bokuto paused for a moment. “Sure!”

Akaashi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “That’s great! We can walk over there from the school if that’s okay with you.”

“Sounds good!”

Akaashi’s mind wandered all over the place, but it dwelled on Bokuto for quite a while, almost too much, even for Akaashi. 

Ever since his first day playing volleyball for Fukurodani, Bokuto always seemed like a bright sun that he was attracted to, like a moth to a flame. His energy and positive aura spoke volumes more than his words themselves. Yes, hearing him yell “AGAASHEE!” whenever he greeted him felt nice, but just being around Kotaro Bokuto was the best thing ever. It was like a drug to Akaashi, and he was hooked bad.

Now that Bokuto was graduating, Akaashi didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t want to think about the fact that he wouldn’t be setting to Bokuto his final year. It broke his heart, yes, but for a while, he didn’t know why.

At the Tokyo Training Camp that year, he was talking to Kuroo one night in the third gym about it.

“Bokuto-san isn’t going to be at Fukurodani next year,” Akaashi said. “It’s going to tough to stay as strong as we are now without him.”

Kuroo nodded. “I get that, I really do. Imagine how teams like Shiratorizawa are going to hold up. Most of their core lineup is third years. You guys will get hit bad, too, as far as I know.”

Akaashi nodded. “I’m going to miss tossing to him.”

Kuroo laughed. “Oh god, it couldn’t be more obvious, huh?”

“What are you saying, Kuroo?”

“You’re crushing on Bokuto!” he said bluntly. “It’s so obvious. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. You don’t shut up about him, don’t ya?”

“I-” Akaashi stuttered.

“It’s always ‘Bokuto-san’ this ‘Bokuto-san’ that. You never talk about anything else! Not even yourself, Akaashi!”

“Well, my life isn’t all that interesting… ”

“Bullshit!” Kuroo joked, with a hyena laugh to boot. “People like talking about themselves most of the time, it’s human nature. But you can’t stop talking about Bokuto. It’s love, clearly.”

“I don’t… do you think that I..?”

“How can  _ you _ not?” he asked. “Hmm, let me think. I’ll ask you a few questions quickly, before Bokuto, Lev, Tsukishima, and Hinata get here.”

“Okay… ”

“First off: Do you see yourself wanting to spend all of your time with him?”

Akaashi paused for a moment. “Yeah, but… ”

Kuroo cut him off. “Do you get a weird feeling in your stomach whenever he touches you?”

“... yes.”

“Ok, one more,” Kuroo said plainly. He leaned in and whispered in Akaashi’s ear. “Do you ever think about, umm, doing  _ things _ with him?”

“What?”

“Kissing? Or maybe something else...” his voice trailed off.

“The thought hasn’t crossed my mind that often,” Akaashi replied. His voice lowered to finish the answer. “Don’t say anything, Kuroo, but I wouldn’t be opposed to any of that.”

“Boom! Crush! Easy answer. You like him. I called it,” Kuroo said smugly.

“Shut up, Kuroo,” Akaashi retorted. “So what do I do about it?”

“You tell him once he finishes the season. You won’t have to talk to him again after high school if you plan your future right. You can tell him, and if it weirds him out, then you just don’t talk. No major repercussions on both of you guys.”

“But he could still say no… ”

“Yeah, but it’s not like it’d be awkward at school for that long. And you guys are a year apart, right? You could avoid him easily if you gave half a crap about it.”

“You’re right. I’ll tell him if we win nationals, that night.”

Kuroo smiled. “Text me then, will ya? I’m curious about how this shakes itself out.”

It was that night, he realized it.

_ I have a crush on Bokuto-san. A big one. _

And on the night they won nationals, Akaashi decided he’d tell him.


	2. Return of the Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a wild kuroo joins the battle! through text messages!
> 
> no this isn't a chatfic don't get your hopes up/down

Akaashi and Bokuto had gotten off of the bus by now. The two were walking from Fukurodani High School to Akaashi’s house, about two miles away.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said. “How are you feeling right now?”

“I’m so happy, Akaashi. You wouldn’t believe it! You don’t seem that happy, though. We just won NATIONALS! We’re the best team in the _whole_ _nation_!”

“I’m just trying to process all of it,” he replied. “I still can’t believe it’s real. It seems like it’s too good to be true.”

“It isn’t too good to be true,” Bokuto joked. “Because it’s true!”

Akaashi shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it is true. It’s just all still setting in, I guess.”

The two walked in silence for a while and Akaashi’s thoughts wandered.

_ How am I going to tell him? Ugh, I should text Kuroo and ask him for help. He’s dated people, so he probably knows how to ask them out… but I shouldn’t be too obvious about it because if he finds out what I’m texting him about, things will get awkward fast. _

Akaashi grabbed his phone from his pocket and went to text Kuroo.

“I’ll ask my dad if anything’s in the fridge,” Akaashi said quickly.

Bokuto nodded and continued walking.

_ Hey Kuroo _ , Akaashi texted quickly.  _ If you haven’t heard, we won. I’m telling him tonite, but IDK how to go abt it… he’s coming over to my house rn. How should I tell him? _

He sent the message and put his phone away, waiting for a reply.

“So, Bokuto-san, do you know what you’re doing after high school ends?”

Bokuto chuckled. “No, not really. I want to play on the national team or at least V-League, but nothing’s gotten offered to me yet.”

“What if you don’t get an offer?”

“I’ll probably go to university and study sports management. I kinda want to become a sportscaster, you know? One of those guys that talks during the games on TV.”

“I could see you doing that, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replied.

“What about you, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked. “What’s your plan after you graduate?”

“I still have another year, Bokuto-san,” he replied.

Bokuto sighed. “I forgot about that.”

“It’s okay,” Akaashi replied. “But when I do graduate, I want to go into something creative. You’ve read my poems, right?”

Bokuto nodded. “You want to write poems?”

“Not exactly. I want to write stories.”

“Books?”

“Maybe books, maybe manga, I don’t know yet. I’ll just try some things and see what fits for my style.”

“I’ll try to read some of your stuff, Akaashi, even though I don’t like reading that much!”

“You don’t have to,” Akaashi replied nervously. “But you can.”

Just then a buzz came from Akaashi’s pocket.

“Do you mind if I check this real quick?” he asked.

Bokuto nodded.

The buzz was from a text from Kuroo. He breathed a sigh of relief.

_ Well, I tried something kind of like this with Kenma one time. He had a crush on someone, it didn’t work out well after a few dates, but it at least got them together. I told Kenma to play a card game or something with them and play 20 questions, _ Kuroo texted.

_ What’s that? _ Akaashi replied quickly.

Kuroo’s indicator was on  _ typing _ for a while, but he eventually sent another message. 

_ Each person takes turns asking questions about each other until they ask 20 questions each. Nobody counts, so it usually ends up going longer. Just stall until they ask you who you like. Say them. Simple. _

_ Thank you so much, _ Akaashi sent back quickly.

“Turns out there’s no food at home,” Akaashi told Bokuto. “What do you want me to order?”

“Whatever’s easy for you.”

“I’ll order when we get home,” he said.

The conversation lulled out for a while, and the two kept walking until they got to Akaashi’s house.

“Here we are, Bokuto-san. Drop your shoes and bag in the front hall, I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s no trouble,” Bokuto replied, dropping his gear and kicking off his shoes.

The two walked into the kitchen.

“Here, I’ll order some ramen,” Akaashi said, scrolling through his phone. “Is that okay, Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto nodded. “It’s fine! What should we do while we wait for it to get here?”

Akaashi shrugged. “How do you feel about 20 questions?”

Bokuto leaned against the counter. “Sounds interesting,” he replied. “You go first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think i'll be updating it daily but rest assured I have the whole story planned out! from now on expect a chapter every 2-3 days, maybe some daily updates if I have more free time! I'm in summer school rn so once the week starts updates are gonna be a little slower.


	3. 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> haha 20 questions with the boys feat. nerdy kuroo

“So, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi started. “What did you think of me when we first met last year?”

Bokuto pondered this question for a while.

“I don’t remember anything specific,” he replied. “It was cool that you’d always toss to me and stuff! Even if it was super late, you’d still do that for me. I liked it a lot.”

Akaashi smiled. “Ha, those were fun nights.”

“I think it's partly because of you that I’ve become such a good ace, Akaashi. I don’t know how I can repay you for that.”

“You repaid me when we won nationals together. That was a reward in itself. I’ll never forget it, Bokuto-san. I’ll never forget you, either.”

“I won’t forget you, either,” Bokuto replied. “You’re my favorite setter I’ve played with!”

Akaashi blushed a little and quickly covered his face. “Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“No problem!” Bokuto gave a thumbs-up. “It’s my turn, right? So, Akaashi, do you think you’ll play next year? I mean, all of us are leaving, mostly, except you.”

“I think I’ll play for one more year,” he replied. “I mean, it won’t be the same without you guys, but it’ll still be a good time! I have to be captain next year too, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh yeah!” Bokuto recalled. “It’s gonna be cool to see you play as a captain.”

“So you’re coming to one of my games?” he asked.

“I’ll try to come to as many as I can! Y’know, if I don’t get too busy...”

“It’s okay, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said anxiously. “You don’t have to go.”

“It’s something I want to do for you! You’ve helped me so much, so the least I could do is support you!”

Akaashi tried his best to not smile again. “So, Bokuto-san,” he started. “What’s your favorite type of hit to do?”

“A cross shot!” Bokuto answered quickly. “You get it super close to the net so the libero can’t get to it and just  _ WHAM _ it down onto the floor! People’s reactions are so fun to watch during a match.”

Akaashi chuckled. “Sounds about right.”

“Why do you play setter?” Bokuto asked.

Akaashi had to think for a moment. “I don’t know. I like helping people, I guess. I don’t like getting all of the attention either, and I’m too tall to be a libero and too short to be a middle blocker. So setter was really all that's left. I enjoy it, too, so it works out. I get to help people like you, Bokuto-san, and it makes me happy.”

Bokuto smiled. “Akaashi! You don’t have to say that!”

He shrugged. “It’s the truth, Bokuto-san.”

The game continued for a while with a few trivial questions regarding favorite movies, colors, and school subjects.

But eventually Bokuto asked the question that Akaashi wasn’t sure if he was excited to answer or dreading to answer.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” he asked Akaashi. “Who is it?”

Akaashi took a moment to think to himself.

_ I could tell him right now. I could tell him and get it over with. It’d be stressful for sure, and scary, but I guess I have to take the risk. It’s the plan, too. Kuroo came up with it! He’s smart, so this better work. _

He took a deep breath and started thinking about all of the times he could’ve told him, but didn’t. All of the times he wished he could’ve said something, but got scared at the last minute and chickened out.

“You’re so scared, Akaashi! You need to calm yourself down. If you’re going to tell him, you need to not act like this cold guy who doesn’t seem to care about anyone. You gotta show off your warmer side!”

“Do I have one of those, Kuroo?” Akaashi asked.

“I’m not one to say,” he replied. “That’s a better question for Bokuto, I guess. Have you done anything nice for him, or, y’know, showed emotions?”

“Yes,” Akaashi said defensively. “I’ve smiled a few times when he talked to me.”

Kuroo sighed. “That’s not enough. Let me put it into perspective for you.”

“Not again with your science crap, Kuroo,” he groaned.

“No, hear me out. Lots of animals do a sort of, mating dance, y’know? They do a little dance to get the girls interested. Just a little cha-cha, like one does.”

“So you’re saying I should do a dance for him?”

“No, no, don’t do that. That’s a bad move.”

“Obviously,” Akaashi retorted. “So what’s your advice?”

“Do something to show your love for him. Not a dance, I mean you can if you want, but you should do something. Get him dinner or something after practice one night. Get him a gift for his birthday. Instead of having your emotions show your love, have your  _ actions _ do it. If you want, use words too, but they’re not needed.”

“That makes sense,” Akaashi said.

“It’s science,” Kuroo replied. “Of course it does.”

_ Let’s get this over with. Better to tell him now than regretting it later. _

“I do have a crush on someone,” he replied.

Bokuto’s eyes widened. “Oooooh!” he said eagerly. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

_ I can’t believe I’m doing this. I don’t think I’m ready for this. This is crazy. _

_ C’mon, Keiji. Calm down. What would Kuroo tell you to do? Something science-y for sure. “Stay calm,” he’d probably say. “You need to seem sure of yourself because that way, he’ll think you’re being serious. Bokuto has a habit of not being serious around others, as you know, especially with his friends.” _

_ But staying calm is way harder than it looks. _

Keiji took a deep breath. “Can I trust you to not repeat this?” he asked.

Bokuto nodded, eyes wide.

“It’s not a girl, Bokuto-san,” he replied.

“Akaashi, I don’t care if you’re gay, if that was the problem.”

“That’s not the problem, Bokuto-san.”

“Then what is it?” he asked.

“It’s you.”

“What? Do you have a problem with me?” he asked, starting to get upset.

“No, Bokuto-san, I could never have a problem with you!”

Bokuto slouched down on the counter with his head in his arms.

“I’m such a clown, I can’t believe I thought you genuinely liked me,” he said.

“I like you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said quickly. “It’s okay if you don’t like me back, and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame you, but I thought you should know because we won nationals and I might not see you again… ”

“What?”

Akaashi took a moment before repeating what he said. “I have a crush on you, Bokuto-san. I don’t want it to affect our friendship, but I thought you should know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello there!! hi from here it gets hype don't worry. expect another chapter on Friday or Saturday!


	4. ...oops...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hehe panic hehe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihi turns out i had time to write... im sorry in advance... the formatting for this chapter, esp the texting parts, is awful... :,(

“I-” Bokuto stuttered. “I-”

“I’m sorry,” Akaashi said. “I shouldn’t have told you. It was too much, and I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know so badly.” He started to tear up. “I don’t think I should’ve told you that, and I apologize, Bokuto-san.”

“I-”

“This was a bad idea,” Akaashi muttered to himself. “God, why did I listen to Kuroo?”

“What did Kuroo do?” Bokuto asked.

“He told me to do this,” he answered. “He told me I’d have to do it now or I might not get the chance to see you again.”

The boys just stared at each other for a moment. No words were said, but their nervous expressions spoke louder than any words they’d say.

“I think I should go… ” Bokuto said. “Maybe you should get some rest, dude,” he added as he put on his shoes. “Look, I don’t mind that you like me, honestly, but I don’t think you’re okay with it. Just take some time to calm down. You always calm me down, but I don’t know how to do that for you, so I’m just gonna go.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I don’t want to make you more scared than you are. Just take some rest, will ya? You’re scaring me, Akaashi. You’re not acting like the cool level-headed setter that’s my… my wingman.” He grabbed his bag and opened the door.

“Bokuto,” Akaashi said, teary-eyed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Bokuto replied with a smile. “I’m sorry for not knowing how to help you feel better.” He stepped outside and closed the door. 

Akaashi angrily walked over to the kitchen to grab his phone and started furiously texting Kuroo at a rapid fire pace, leaning against the wall.

_ Kuroo, I blew it. I started spiraling and I didnt even let him talk. He said he was scared of me bc I was so uptight about it. He said it was okay that he had a crush on me but I blew it way too far out of hand. _

He sighed and curled up into a ball against the wall and just sat for a moment before seeing his phone buzz with a reply.

_ Thats what happens when you start panicking dude. Im pretty sure hes ok w it, but you just need to calm down a lil bit. Try to text him later tonight and say youre sry about being so uptight. He wont mind it. _

_ Thats a good idea, _ Akaashi sent back.  _ Thanks, Kuroo. _

Kuroo sent a winking face back at him in reply.

As Bokuto was walking over to his house, he was texting aggressively with his close friend, none other than Kuroo.

_ Dude the wildest thing just happened, _ he sent.

_ What? _ Kuroo asked.

_ Akaashi told me he had a crush on me, and that ur the one who got him to tell me. _

_ Well yeah,  _ Kuroo replied.  _ Thats what we planned. 20 questions, you ask him who he likes, he says you, boom, happily ever after. _

_ Yeah, well he started panicking and losing his cool, _ Bokuto continued. _ It was so out of his personality real spooky. _

_ That happens. _

_ I was really on edge because I didnt know how to react, _ Bokuto texted.  _ Mainly because I wasnt sure if it was real or not. _

_ What do you mean by that? _

_ You cant tell anyone, _ Bokuto sent quickly.  _ But I was about to say that I liked him back. _

_ No way. _

_ Way. He just got so panicked that I wasnt able to tell him, and then I didnt know how to calm him down so I just left. Hes the one calming me down not the other way around. _

Kuroo’s text indicator said he was typing for a while. Bokuto waited anxiously for his next message to send.

_ Ok, heres an insider tip for you. I told Akaashi to send you a text late tonight to say that hes sorry for getting so panicked. When he does, say its ok, which Im assuming you would do anyways and ask him if he wants to hang out tomorrow night. Kenma and I can take care of the rest and help you guys if you can get that date set up. _

_ Are u sure? _

_ Yeah, definitely. Kenma and I both want you guys to get together, and we had a hunch you two liked each other. Its our main mission of the week. I can help you, and Kenma can help Akaashi. The date will happen, and well be watching, dw, and assuming you guys follow our advice, youll end up together! _

_ You don’t have to do this, Kuroo, _ Bokuto texted him.

_ I think I do, _ he replied.  _ Besides, its been a long time coming. _

Akaashi sat on his phone alone in his bedroom, lying on his bed in a dark room, the screen’s brightness illuminating his face.

_ I guess I should do this, huh? _ he thought to himself.  _ There isn’t really any room to go back now, I guess. _

He opened his messaging app and started typing a message to Bokuto.

_ Hey Bokuto-san. Sry about what happened. I got a little bit uptight. My bad.  _

He quickly hit send and instantly put the phone down and buried his head in his pillow.

_ Ohmygod. I just did that. _

Akaashi started breathing heavily and started mentally spiraling.

_ What if he thinks I’m even weirder now? He definitely thinks I’m weirder now… I’m blowing this too far out of proportion. Maybe I should just drop the thing and act like it never happened. I need to calm-- _

A buzz came from Akaashi’s phone. He quickly grabbed it to see what the notification was, hands shaking with fear.

It was a message from Bokuto.

_ Dw, _ he read. _ It’s fine. I get y u got so nuts abt it. Maybe we could meet up tomorrow night and talk about it when ur more calm? _

Akaashi’s face got red and a feeling of warmth ran through his body.

_ Thatd be awesome! _

Akaashi hugged his pillow tightly and smiled to himself.

_ I didn’t scare him! I still have a chance. I better not start panicking this time. I have to do better, or else I’ll lose my shot with him. _

Akaashi put his phone down on the side of his bed. He got up from his bed and went to take a shower.

_ I have to look my best for this. _

_ I refuse to mess up again. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah i kinda updated this a lil fast huh? still do expect a chapter on Friday or Saturday! i think I have only a couple chapters left I plan to write so the fic should be done in like,, a week? two weeks tops!


	5. Are You Ready?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Kuroo is a Big Nerd while consulting Bokuto and Akaashi has a Gay Panic

The next afternoon, at around 13:00, the doorbell rang at Akaashi’s house. He went to open the door, and he saw Kenma Kozume standing in the doorway.

“Hi there,” he said. “Do you need anything?”

“Kuroo sent me,” Kenma replied flatly. “He said it was something to do with you and Bokuto going on a date.”

“Seems right. What are you here for?”

“Kuroo told me that I had to help get you ready,” he answered. “He told me when you confessed to him last night it was a trainwreck.”

Akaashi shushed him. “Please don’t bring that up.”

Kenma shrugged. “Okay.”

“Why don’t you come in?” Akaashi asked.

Kenma nodded and stepped inside. He went to take off his shoes, and the two went to Akaashi’s bedroom. Akaashi sat down on the floor. Kenma immediately sat down across from him.

“When are you guys meeting?” he asked.

“18:00,” Akaashi replied. “That gives us seven hours.”

“We can work with that.” Kenma looked at Akaashi’s hair. “We can deal with appearance last. First, we should make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself when you talk to him.”

“How do I do that?” Akaashi asked.

“Well, here’s what I do. I just try not to talk. Most of the time, when I start talking to someone I have a crush on, I can’t really stop because I get overwhelmed and start freaking out. So, I just don’t talk.”

“Makes sense,”

“Yeah, unless he asks you to tell a story or something, try to say no more than a sentence or so. As few words as possible.”

“Okay,” Akaashi said. “I get the idea.”

“Let’s practice then,” Kenma continued. “Okay, so imagine that I’m Bokuto and we’re sitting at my house.”

“Okay.”

“So, Akaashi, how have you been doing today?” Kenma asked, trying his best to impersonate Bokuto.

“I’m doing fine. I’m a bit tired, but nothing to be worried--”

“Woah there,” Kenma said, cutting him off. “That’s too much. Just a simple ‘Okay, how are you?’ is good enough. Simple and short, Akaashi.”

“Okay, simple and short,” he repeated. “Can we try again?”

Kenma nodded.

“So, Akaashi,” he said again, trying to match Bokuto’s voice. “How are you today?”

“I’m doing well. How are you?” he asked. “Was that good?”

“Great,” Kenma replied, congratulating him. “Okay, let’s try something else. This is going to be a bit harder.” Kenma shifted his voice back to his Bokuto impression. “So, Akaashi, how do you feel about me leaving next year? I’m gonna miss you, y’know.”

Akaashi took a deep breath. “I’m going to miss you a lot, Bokuto-san. But, I know you’re going on to do something awesome, and I’ll try to support you!”

Kenma was silent for a minute, thinking. The brain of Nekoma High School’s volleyball club was in his element. 

“I think that’s a nice thing to say to him,” he said eventually. “It’s kind of long for a reply, but I feel like it was kind of needed.”

“So we’re done working on this?” Akaashi asked.

“I’ll do a few more questions for now, and then we can maybe work on something else for a bit, sure,” Kenma replied. “Is this helping?”

Akaashi nodded.

“Good, because I have no idea what I’m doing. Kuroo kinda gave me a lesson plan for you, more or less. This is all his idea.”

“That’s really nice of him, though,” Akaashi replied.

“Yeah, you can tell he wants to see you guys together. And, to be honest, I do too.”

Akaashi smiled.

- - -

The doorbell rang at Bokuto’s house at around 14:00 that same day. Bokuto came downstairs from reading in his bedroom to see Kuroo outside the door.

“Hey, Kuroo.”

“Heard you needed some help getting ready for tonight,” he said.

“I do!”

Kuroo stepped into the house and kicked off his shoes. He clapped and rubbed his hands together. “Okay! What’s the game plan?”

“I don’t know,” Bokuto shrugged. “But I know I have to clean up the house a bit and figure out how to deal with Akaashi. And tell him the thing.”

“Yeah, the thing,” Kuroo said, thinking. “Well, we can talk about that as we clean up the house. That okay with you?”

Bokuto nodded. “So I was thinking we could start with the kitchen and move our way over to the living room, and my room too, just in case we go up there.”

“Seems about right,” Kuroo replied. “Let's clean the kitchen so we can chat about that part.”

“Okay!”

The two made their way to the kitchen.

“I can clean the table,” Bokuto said as he grabbed a wood cleaner from one of the cabinets. He also took a container of a countertop cleaning product and put it on the counter near Kuroo. “Could you try to clean the counter real quick?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kuroo replied. He grabbed a rag from the same cabinet and started spraying and wiping the product on the counter

Bokuto walked over the table in the middle of the room and did a similar process with the wood cleaner.

“So, Bokuto, how long have you liked him?” Kuroo asked as he cleaned. “Just curious.”

“A while. I’d have to guess it became a more romantic thing at the end of last season, but I didn’t realize it until a while later. I didn’t know it was a crush until halfway through the season, right around the time of the training camp where I met Hinata and Tsukki.”

“Oh yeah, then,” Kuroo said, seemingly lost in his brain. His cleaning slowed down a bit. “That was a fun camp.”

Bokuto finished his coat of wood cleaner and went to clean the chairs. “Yeah, it was!”

“So how are you doing with all the Akaashi stuff?” Kuroo asked, resuming his regular pace of cleaning. “Are you still in the denial stage?”

“The  _ what _ stage?”

“Stages of grief. I mean, this isn’t really a sad thing, but it still kind of applies. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. In this case I guess you’d skip anger and depression, sure, but it still makes sense.” Having finished cleaning the counter, Kuroo went to wring out the rag over the sink. 

“I guess I’m still a little bit in denial. It seems too good to be true, you know? Like it might just be a dream. The whole day seemed super surreal. I’ve had dreams a lot like it, and they end the same way. I couldn’t tell if I was still dreaming.” Bokuto walked over to the counter as well, putting the wood cleaner in the cabinet and took the paper towel he was using to put into the garbage can.

“Trust me,” Kuroo replied, putting the cleaner in the cabinet. “It’s real.”

“How do you know?”

“Don’t repeat this,” Kuroo said, his expression hardening. “But Akaashi kinda mentioned to me about his crush on you during that camp. Where we met Hinata and Tsukishima.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, I think you were out doing something, but he did.”

“When did he know it was a crush?”

“Well, after I asked him about how he looked at you. I kinda figured it out before him, but I explained why I felt that way, and asked him a few questions. Then he texted me a few days later and was like, ‘holy crap you were right, Kuroo’ and then I just laughed to myself.”

“So you just confronted him about it?” he asked.

“He was talking about you nonstop, I had to say something.”

“So what did you do?” Bokuto went over to the sink to rinse the dishes in there and put them into the dishwasher.

“Well,” Kuroo began, moving to grab a broom on the wall nearby. “I asked him first if he liked you, and he said no. Clearly.” He went to sweep up the kitchen floor and continued as he slept. “So then I said ‘no way!’ and then asked him the three questions.”

“What three questions?” Bokuto asked as he grabbed the dishwasher detergent from a cabinet and put it into the dishwasher.

“The Tetsuro Kuroo Trademark Three Questions to See if You Have a Crush, of the TK Three, for short.”

“What?”

Kuroo sighed. “It’s just a list of questions I came up with to help you figure out if you like someone. Romantically.”

“What are they?”

“1. Do you find yourself constantly wanting to spend time with them all hours of the day? 2. Do you get this weird warm feeling whenever you make physical contact with them? 3. Have you ever wanted to kiss them, or, y’know,” his voice trailed off. “That.”

Kuroo stopped talking and continued sweeping the floor.

“So he said yes to all three?” Bokuto asked while starting the dishwasher.

Kuroo nodded. 

“Oh, wow,” Bokuto said.

“Would you say yes to all of them?” Kuroo asked curiously. “Just wondering...”

“Duh,” Bokuto said, rolling his eyes. 

The two went over into the living room to clean up. Bokuto went to straighten up the shelves and make them less crowded. Kuroo grabbed a duster and dusted the entertainment center and the television.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Kuroo asked. “How do you plan on talking to him.”

“I don’t know, I was thinking we could have dinner first, and then I’ll drop it on him after that, and then we can go watch a movie or something.”

“Sounds good. Were you thinking of a dinner at home or to go out?”

“Either! There’s a good place down the road that we could go to. I should text him in a bit and ask him what he wants to do!”

“Good idea,” Kuroo replied as he finished dusting. “Here,” he said, taking over straightening the shelves. “Go text him right now.”

“Alright.” Bokuto pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Akaashi.

_ Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go out somewhere. Theres a place near my house that I think youll like.. _

He sent the message and put his phone back into his pocket. As he went back to try to clean up the couch and living room table, he felt a buzz from his phone. He quickly grabbed it and checked to see if the notification came from Akaashi, and it did.

_ Sounds cool! Count me in _

Bokuto smiled. “I think we’re going out, Kuroo,” he said.

“Fun,” he replied.

- - -

“So you guys are going somewhere?” Kenma asked, glancing at the clock. It was now around 15:30. Two and a half hours until the big night.

Akaashi nodded, still staring at his phone, eyes bright and full of energy. “Yeah.”

“Do you know how nice the place is?” 

“I’ve heard Bokuto talk about it a couple of times before. He said it was semi-nice. Not quite a fancy hotel nice but not like a McDonalds.”

“So you’d say something nice, but not too nice.”

“Yeah, not quite like our uniforms, but something formal-ish.”

“Let's take a look at your closet,” Kenma said. He hesitated for a moment. “You should probably shower first, actually. That way none of your clothes get dirty.”

“Alright,” Akaashi said as he went to shower.

Kenma went to the kitchen. “Yell at me when you’re wearing clothes,” he said monotonously. 

After playing a game for a half hour or so, Kenma heard Akaashi yell his name and went back to Akaashi’s room.

“Alright,” he said as he walked into the room. “So, we need to find you an outfit.”

Akaashi opened his closet. “How are we going to do that.”

“Okay, I’m going to need you to take out any and all dress pants in your closet, and any collared shirts and sweaters, and lay them out on the floor here,” Kenma said assertively, gesturing to a spot on Akaashi’s floor. “Nice pants are a must.”

Akaashi took all of his khakis and laid them out on the floor. Then he grabbed his favorite collared shirts and sweaters and laid them out in a separate pile nearby.

“So these are your favorites? What type of look do you want to have?”

“I’d say more refined, for sure. It’s kind of my thing.”

“I know a little bit about stuff but try some stuff out for me. I want to help you pick the best one. I’ll be in the hallway.”

A few minutes later, Akaashi came back with a dark pair of khakis and a slightly oversized black sweater.

“Do you have any collared shirts that match that color?”

“No, sorry,” Akaashi replied. He cuffed his sleeves. “Does that look any better?”

“Yeah. I’d go to white pants, though. Do you have any black shoes?”

“I can bring them out once I change pants. Be right back,” Akaashi said as he went to get his shoes and different pants.

A few minutes later, Akaashi came out again.

“Here are the shoes,” he began. “I have these boots here and some dress shoes.”

“Try the boots,” Kenma said.

Akaashi put them on and laced them up. He stood up in the hallway. “How does this look?” he asked. 

“It looks good,” Kenma answered. “But I have an idea. This is a little out there, but try black pants and a bright yellow sweater with a black button-up underneath. Do you have any white shoes?”

“I have a pair of nice sneakers,” Akaashi replied. “I’ll be right back.”

Akaashi came back with a yellow sweater with black pants and collar. “How does this look?” he asked. 

“Good. When do you have to go on the train to get to Bokuto’s house?”

Akaashi glanced at the clock. “It’s 16:30...” he muttered to himself. “I have to go soon.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kenma said. “I have to meet Kuroo too, he’s with Bokuto right now.”

“Alright. Do you have money for a ticket?”

Kenma nodded.

“I’ll grab my wallet real quickly, and then we can head out,” Akaashi said as he went into his room quickly.

After Akaashi grabbed his wallet, the two went outside and walked over to the train station to meet Bokuto and Kuroo.

- - -

Bokuto’s clock on his phone read 16:30. He was sitting in the living room with Kuroo; they had just finished cleaning and were taking a break.

Bokuto jumped up from the couch “Kuroo, he’s coming in an hour and a half!”

“Calm down, Bokuto--”

“What do I wear? I need to shower! Stay there!” He ran to the bathroom as fast as he could. 

Kuroo cackled and picked up his phone to text Kenma.

_ How does he look? Eta? _

He got a reply from Kenma instantly.

_ Be there at around 5:40 prolly. Assuming train isnt delayed. Akaashi looks good. _

_ Pics? _ Kuroo sent back.

Kenma sent a picture of Akaashi’s outfit to Kuroo. He sent a quick message back. 

_ Nice. Bokuto’s getting ready rn. _

_ Send pics, _ Kenma sent back.

Around forty minutes later, Bokuto found an outfit and was out of the shower. He walked over to Kuroo in the living room.

“How does this look?” he asked.

Kuroo shrugged. “It’s fine. The white pants look nice. I’d maybe go with a black shirt over a grey one, though.”

“What if I go to a button-up and add a black jacket?” he asked.

“That could work. Try it.”

Bokuto came back a few minutes later with the changed outfit.

“Not bad. What about shoes?”

“I have these black boots that I like a lot,” Bokuto replied. “They’re in my closet. I can grab them real quick.”

“Do you have any yellow?”

“Anything? I have a sweater I could wear instead of the jacket.”

“Try it,” Kuroo replied.

Bokuto came back with a yellow sweater over his collared shirt.

“How does this look?” he asked. “Good?”

“Great, actually. Let’s see it with the black boots.”

Bokuto put on the boots quickly. “Good?”

“Great. What time is it?” Kuroo asked, checking his phone. “17:30.”

“Half-hour?”

“Probably less. Kenma was helping Akaashi today and he said they would be here closer to 15 minutes from now. I can text him quickly.”

_ Eta? _ he sent Kenma quickly.

Kenma quickly shot back a reply.  _ Just got off the train. Be there in 10-ish. _

“Was that Kenma?” Bokuto asked.

Kuroo nodded. “They’re ten minutes out.”

The two walked to the living room and sat for a while quietly. Bokuto seemed anxious, and Kuroo noticed.

“Hey, Bokuto,” he said. “Don’t worry. Kuroo and I have been planning this all day. It’s gonna work.”

“Yeah, as long as I don’t mess up.”

“You won’t. I’m more worried about Akaashi, but Kenma helped him learn to not start talking out of control. He’s been working on it with him for a few hours.”

“That’s nice of you guys to do,” Bokuto replied. “Thanks!”

“Won’t be worth it unless you two start dating,” Kuroo told him. “Meaning, you better.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Bokuto and Kuroo walked to open it.

_ This is it. My big chance. I’m going to tell him how I feel. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok there's only 1-2 chapters left guys!! I'm going to try to upload on Monday next but it may be sooner! depends on my work ethic and if I see friends...


	6. Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> haha its the final chapter woooooo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! last chapter is out! hope you enjoy!

“Hi, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said after Bokuto opened the door. “How are you?”

“I’m doing okay,” he replied. “Come in! You too Kenma!”

Akaashi and Kenma stepped inside the house.

“So where are you two going?” Kenma asked.

Bokuto grinned. “Oh, it’s a local place down the road. It’s a tradition that… ”

“What tradition?” Akaashi asked.

“We go there at the end of every volleyball season. Me and my family. And I thought, maybe, that we could go too? I mean, you’re my setter.” Bokuto started. “At this point, you’re pretty much family to me,” Bokuto lied.

Akaashi’s stomach started running around in circles. His body felt all warm and airy inside. He glanced at Kuroo, next to Bokuto, who gave a hand signal to talk.

_ What do I say? _ he thought to himself.

“That’s very kind of you, Bokuto-san,” he said. “Thank you.”

“No problem!” Bokuto replied eagerly. “Do you want to head out?”

“Sure.”

“Kenma and I should start making our way home too,” Kuroo said. “Send an update tomorrow, will ya?”

“Definitely,” Bokuto replied.

“Good luck!”

With that, Kuroo and Kenma walked out of the house. Instead of going to the train station, however, they decided to go over to another road nearby and figure out which restaurant Bokuto and Akaashi were going to.

Both had their phones out and were searching for nearby restaurants.

“It could be this one,” Kenma said quietly. ”Wait, no, that’s a chain. Nevermind.”

“You’re good,” Kuroo replied. “Hmm, that leaves two more. Is this one it, or is that one?”

“Did Bokuto tell you anything about how far it was away?”

“Oh yeah! He said it was on his street… ” Kuroo trailed off. “Found it! Let’s go!”

“We’re going to that restaurant?” Kenma asked. “Why?”

“To make sure nothing goes wrong,” Kuroo answered quickly as he began to run down the road. “Quick, Kenma! We have to get there before Bokuto and Akaashi!”

Kenma groaned and ran to catch up to Kuroo.

“Who knows what they’re up to?” Akaashi asked, looking at Kuroo and Kenma walk off to another street. “Train station, probably.” He turned too look at Bokuto. “So, which way do we go?”

“Left,” Bokuto replied, gesturing down the road. “Short guys first.”

“I’m only three centimeters shorter,” Akaashi retorted. “I’d hardly call myself short.”

“You’re shorter than me,” Bokuto said. “And better at clothes.”

“What do you mean?” Akaashi asked as they started walking down the road.

“You look nice.”

Akaashi’s face started turning red, and he looked away. “Thank you, Bokuto-san. You look good as well.”

Bokuto smiled. “After dinner, do you want to walk back to my house to watch a movie or something? Wait ‘till you see my street at night...”

“How good does it look?”

“Amazing,” Bokuto replied.  _ Just like you. _

“That sounds fun,” Akaashi replied. “We should do that.”

“Great! I thought you’d be interested.”

The conversation died out as the two continued walking down the road. 

“Bokuto, how are you doing with  _ that _ ?” Akaashi asked, out of the blue.

“What do you mean? That you have a crush on me?”

“Yeah,” Akaashi asked, looking down. “That.”

“Well, I’m okay with it, like I said. I wasn’t doing so hot with how you were losing it, though,” Bokuto answered with a smile. “You seem a lot more normal today. For you, I mean.”

“That’s good,” Akaashi replied. “I’m sorry again for acting so weird. It must have scared you.”

“Damn right it did!” Bokuto replied. “Whatever was up with you last night, I hope you’re over it now.”

“Don’t worry. I am.”

“Fantastic! Let’s have a good time, then.”

“Fine by me,” Akaashi replied.

Once the two arrived at the restaurant, they sat at a table for two across from one another. They were so focused on each other that they couldn’t see Kuroo and Kenma looking at them from a nearby table.

“I hope they’re doing okay,” Kenma said quietly to Kuroo. “I mean, it sure seems like it.”

“They definitely are,” Kuroo replied. “No dudes could be that invested in each other and not have any romantic connection.”

“How do you know?”

“Intuition,” Kuroo replied.

Across the room, Bokuto and Akaashi were smiling and laughing non stop. 

“No way that actually happened,” Akaashi said. “You couldn’t have scared off a setter in junior high.”

“I did,” Bokuto replied. “Not one of my best moments, but I felt awful afterwards. I guess I wanted to practice with him too much.” He shrugged. “That wasn’t a problem for you, though, Akaashi. You were all in for tossing to me.”

“Yeah, and I’m glad I was. It was fun. If you weren’t graduating, I would be down to do it for another year.”

Bokuto sighed. “Yeah, graduating. Forgot that was happening.”

“Do you have any plans?” Akaashi asked. 

“I’m trying out for a V-League team. The MSBY Black Jackals? You’ve heard of them, right?”

“Yeah,” Akaashi replied. “They’re division one, right? That’s going to be hard to get into.”

“It is, which is why I’m training non-stop until tryouts in the fall. And I was going to ask you to help me over the summer. Would you want to do that?” Bokuto asked.

“Sure! I’d enjoy that, Bokuto-san.”

“Awesome! So do you know what you’re doing after next year?”

“I might go to university for writing,” Akaashi answered. “I want to become an author or editor.”

“I didn't know you liked to write, Akaashi! Can you show me some of your stuff someday?”

Akaashi blushed and quickly put his hands up to cover his face. “Sure!”

Little did Bokuto know that Akaashi had just finished filling up a pocket notebook full of poems about Bokuto a few days before nationals.

_ I just hope he likes me back. I know I’m pushing my luck, but I want it to happen so much. I could read him the poems and write him more and more! _

“So what do you write?” Bokuto asked. “Books, poems, any specific genre?”

“I like writing poems and short stories.”

“About what?” Bokuto asked.

“The future,” Akaashi replied, dancing around the truth. “Things in my life, you know. Basic stuff, really.”

“Now I’m curious!”

“I don't have any with me.” Akaashi said. “You’re going to have to wait, Bokuto-san.”

“I can wait,” Bokuto pouted. 

“Do you think you can get onto the Jackals?” Akaashi asked.

“Maybe, it depends on how well we train in the summer!”

The two started laughing again.

“Do they look like they’re doing okay?” Kuroo asked.

“They look like they’re hitting it off,” Kenma replied. “Nothing seems to have gotten bad yet. No conflict.”

“Perfect. It’s all according to plan.”

“Wait, what’s your master plan, actually? You never told me,” Kenma asked.

“Here’s what I was thinking. So, there’s a chance that Bokuto likes Akaashi back, right?” Kuroo said.

Kenma nodded.  
“So if he does, I told Bokuto to tell him after the dinner date. Then they go home and watch movies and be boyfriends together. No space.”

“Sounds cute, but it banks a lot on that they get along well and Bokuto doesn’t baby out of telling him.”

“He won’t. Especially since Akaashi dropped it first.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Bokuto and Akaashi had just finished paying for dinner, and were getting up to leave and walk home.

“Something’s wrong,” Kuroo said. “He hasn’t dropped it yet. I’ll text him real quick.”

Kuroo whipped out his phone and texted Bokuto.

_ Have you told him? _

Kuroo quickly put his phone back and acted non-suspicious.

Akaashi and Bokuto walked out of the restaurant together, and Kuroo and Kenma sneakily followed behind.

“Hey, Akaashi,” Bokuto said as they started walking further down the road. “Did you like the restaurant?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san. It was great.”

“Great, so you’d say the… dinner… went well?”

Akaashi nodded.

“That’s good, because I have something I need to tell you.” Bokuto stopped walking and turned to face Akaashi directly.

“What is it, Bokuto-san?”

“I’ve had a crush on you too.”

Akaashi instantly gave Bokuto a giant hug. 

“It’s okay.” Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi as well. “You’re okay. Take your time.”

Akaashi held onto Bokuto for a while, and didn’t let go. “Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

The two stood on the sidewalk hugging each other for a solid few minutes before letting go. Kuroo and Kenma watched from a distance, right outside of the restaurant, and high-fived each other.

“Do you want to watch a movie at my house?” Bokuto asked.

“Yeah,” Akaashi replied. “I’d like that.”

Bokuto wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s far shoulder, and Akaashi did the same. The two walked down the road to Bokuto’s house under the bright moon and stars, fully enveloped in the tranquility of being with each other and the world around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading this fic! means a lot to me that you're even here...   
> please feel free to kudo or comment if you want!

**Author's Note:**

> ok i kinda might add to this I really want to... anyway thanks for reading this chapter! drop some kudos if you want, and leave a comment if you feel like it...


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